


I Know

by scooter3scooter



Category: Onward (2020)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Barley Lightfoot Needs a Hug, Brother Feels, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Crying, Cute, Driving, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Guinevere The Second, How Do I Tag, Mild Angst, Mostly Fluff, Past hurt, Some Humor, guinevere 2.0, precious Ian Lightfoot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:41:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23904820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scooter3scooter/pseuds/scooter3scooter
Summary: Before I could realize what was happening, the strong arms were around my waist and pulling me up into the air, “Barley!” I called out. How he could have possibly snuck up behind me, beats me, given how accident prone he is.Ignoring my protest, with his booming voice he asked, “Dost Sir Lightfoot wish to accompany me on a quest?”
Relationships: Barley Lightfoot & Ian Lightfoot
Comments: 19
Kudos: 48





	I Know

Before I could realize what was happening, the strong arms were around my waist and pulling me up into the air, “Barley!” I called out. _How he could have possibly snuck up behind me, beats me, given how accident prone he is._

Ignoring my protest, with his booming voice he asked, “Dost Sir Lightfoot wish to accompany me on a quest?”

I did not bother struggling, knowing it’s no use, “Can you ever just ask instead of carrying me?” Though I could not keep in the small laugh bubbling up inside me.

He placed me down gently, “why don’t we just go for a ride?” He was already walking towards the hall leading to the front door, already knowing my answer before I even had to voice it. 

I followed him, “yeah sure,” I answered as I grabbed my wizard's staff, “wanna fly?”

He paused, contemplating for a breath, clearly very tempted, though he seemed almost pained to say, he answered, “not this time, why don’t we just drive around? Like on your birthday?” 

He flew open the front door and heading to Guinevere the Second while I put the staff back in its place next to the door, quickly following my older brother. I let out another laugh, “you make that sound so chill, like we didn’t risk our lives several times that day.”

He let out his classic loud chuckle, “I meant in between our close calls with death, I meant when we were just talking and hanging out together,” he paused, hand on the drivers side door handle, “that reminds me, do you wanna drive?”

“No no” I quickly pulled open the passenger side door of the van and hopped in, “you offered to drive around with me so you get the wheel.”

He followed suit, “I suppose,” but he did not press me further. I only realized once he gave me that overprotective stare that the reason we had not even left the driveway yet was that I was not wearing my seatbelt. _As if we totally did not drive completely recklessly on our quest._ Once I was safely in my seat, Guinevere the Second was off.

  
  


After a few minutes of not necessarily uncomfortable silence, I still broke it “hey Bar, any reason in particular you wanted to drive around? Not that I don’t want to be here, but like, this isn’t a secret quest or anything cuz I left my staff at home.”

“Do you really think I need a quest to want to hang out with my baby brother,” with his eyes still mostly on the road he reached over and ruffled my curls fondly. 

“Hey!” I swatted his hand away, “I’m _sixteen_ , I am not a baby!”

He chuckled, “Fair enough, I did dub you an adult anyway,” but he was still not done, “So how about _little_ brother?” he teased. I rolled my eyes, though I could not help but smile at his antics, this is not a battle worth fighting.

As he pulled onto the highway with ease, not even needing to really think about it, he must have noticed me watching, “I thought you weren’t scared to drive anymore?”

_That should not have caught me so off guard_. “I’m not! I mean, I wasn’t, I’m mostly not,” my words always manage to jumble up, “It’s different when it’s when we are just going on the highway instead of to bring dad back, that’s not really something I’m so motivated to accomplish. And it’s different anyway with an instructor in the car instead of you.”

“Aw you do like driving with me!” He smiled so big it was almost surprising it fit on his face.

How he always manages to make everything look so positive beats me, “Well..” I can’t ruin his happiness, “I mean yeah, I guess I do.”

His chest practically puffed out in honor, “I knew it!” he said with so much pride I could not tell if he was just proud of himself or me or both, knowing him probably both.

We fell into yet another not uncomfortable silence, Barley, at some point, turning on his music quietly in the background, that is until I thought of a question for him, “Barley, when we were on our way to getting the Phoenix gem, when I was crossing the bridge, you didn’t mean to- I mean of course you wouldn’t try to, but like with the rope-” as they words came out they could not help but jumble up and lose their point. “I don’t even know what I’m trying to ask, sorry, nevermind.”

My normally excitable brother sobered up when he realized the question I was trying to say but could not get the wording right for, “Ian, you know I would have _never_ let you make and cross that bridge if I thought you actually would have fallen.”

“The rope fell though-” _I’m being dumb, I should just shut up already._

“Ian.” He cut me off hard, before I could shut myself up. “When that rope untied, it wasn’t me trying to make you trust yourself, it untied by itself. When you were going across and you didn’t- when you had nothing to protect you from falling, when I couldn’t protect you… I have never been so scared in my entire life.” 

Hearing him so serious sounded so foreign to my ears, my voice so small was all too familiar though, “you said you vowed to never be scared again.”

“You’re right, I wasn’t scared,” _wait what?_ “I was absolutely, completely _terrified_ to lose you,” he took the next off ramp of the highway, “I thought I knew fear before, with dad,” he let out a wet laugh and only then did I notice the tears in his eyes, “I thought I knew fear before, but watching you fall on that last step, Ian you could never understand how I felt. All I could do was cry and tell you to keep going and hope you’d make it.”

_He had cried? I saw him right after, I got_ mad _at him after he had just been crying. How could I be so oblivious, so self centered?_ “I- I hadn’t realized you had cried.”

He shrugged, as if there were not tears escaping his eyes at this very moment, even with me sitting safe next to him, “I didn’t want you to think I didn’t believe in you, didn’t believe you could make it yourself.”

_Maybe I did not fully realize before, but yeah, of course he believed in me, I could never doubt that now._ “I know you believe in me,” if I was doing the disguise spell right now, I would not have been changed back.

Pulling into some random parking lot, he finally looked over at me, the tears still on his cheeks, “Ian, I know I push you a lot, but I don’t want you to ever doubt that I’ll always protect you and be here for you, okay?”

A small smile pulled at my lips, “I know you will,” I could not help the tear that fell from my own eyes, “you know I love you, right Barley?” 

He reached over, rubbing away my tears even as more fell from his own eyes, “I know,” he chuckled, “and you better know I love you too.”

“I know,” I assured him, smiling. With that he put the gear back into drive, leaving the parking lot, to who knows where. _And honestly, I could not care less._

Wiping the tears from his face, he cleared his throat, “well that was not what I thought this drive would lead to.”

“Sorry,” I blurted out, before I could stop myself.

That got him to laugh, successfully easing some of the weight in the air, “don’t be sorry, quests are for surprises aren’t they?” I didn’t have to look at him to just feel the smirk he had on. 

“Don’t you think I know what quests entail, I’m the wizard afterall,” I smirked back.

He shot back, “And who taught you every spell you know,” smile large on his face once again.

I laughed again, knowing I’ll never win but I could not find it in me to be bothered.

**Author's Note:**

> Well I’ve seen Onward four times now and I absolutely adore it, so I figured even with two WIP’s, screw it, I’ll write a one shot why not. It’s my first fic for the Onward fandom so that’s fun, I’m hoping to write more.  
> Thank you for reading :)


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